She Will Be Loved
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: One-shot based on the song by Maroon 5. Elena is a vampire, and struggling with her transition. Damon is always the one who's there to help her... but will she finally realize that he was, even before she turned? Post-finale! R&R?


_Beauty queen of only eighteen she had some trouble with herself_

_He was always there to help her_

_She always belonged to someone else_

The boarding house was quiet. But, for the past few weeks, it always was. There was a lingering sense of loss that hung in the air, and no one dared bring any happiness through the doors and break it. For, at the moment, happiness was the last thing on neither Damon nor Stefan's minds.

Elena Gilbert, the girl they both wanted so desperately, was a vampire. The one thing they had worked so hard to prevent, had happened anyway. Everyone told Stefan that it had been an accident, and that he had done the right thing by doing as Elena wished and saving Matt.

Matt didn't agree.

There was no way _in hell _Damon agreed. Had it been him there when Elena was drowning, he would have said to hell with her wishes, and dragged her out of that car kicking and screaming. She'd have thanked him for it later, no matter what happened to the Donovan kid.

Because, right now, Elena's life was hell. Unimaginably awful; she wasn't ready for vampirism. She didn't want it. But now, she had no choice.

It had been nearly a month since Elena turned, having transitioned on Matt's blood. The blond boy, who still held deep feelings in his heart for Elena, had said it was only fair that it be his blood she drank, since it was his fault she was in this mess in the first place.

Now, Elena lied in bed alone in Stefan's room, her arms wrapped around herself, trying to stop the tears. She hated her life. Why hadn't she just let herself die? A part of her had told herself she was doing it for Caroline, of all people, who had lost her father the same way only a few months ago. Another part of her knew it was because she was afraid to die, even though she had, technically, already done it.

The part she hated the most was the bloodlust. The constant thirst for more, even just after she had fed. Stefan had assured her it would go about.

The only problem was, she didn't trust Stefan the Ex-Blood Addict with helping her get used to drinking blood. Which was why she had…

"Elena?"

Looking up from the pillow her face had been buried in, she first locked her eyes on the ruby liquid filled blood-bag. Then, they slowly drifted up to lock with the hopelessly blue eyes of…

"Damon."

Walking into the room, that familiar shine of pain in his eyes, Damon moved to sit down on the bed beside her. During her second week after transition, Elena had known Stefan couldn't help her adjust properly. But she just couldn't tell him that she would rather have his older brother do it. So, every night while Stefan was out hunting bunnies, once again, Damon would bring Elena a blood-bag and help her drink it in moderation. They kept their little meetings a secret; no one else would understand the trust Elena put in the eldest Salvatore brother. But, were it not for him, she likely would have already starved herself of blood, and ending up slaying all of Mystic Falls in a fortnight.

"I brought you dinner," he said, with the faintest trace of his old grin pulling at his lips. Ever since he had held Alaric, dying, in his arms, and known Elena was gone, Damon hadn't been quite the same. A part of him had died that night with Elena, leaving him only half the witty, sarcastic, fun loving man he had been before. What no one understood that, as much as he tried to hide it, Damon had simply suffered too much heartbreak that night. First, when he had finally begun to think he had a chance, that he may have won her over, Elena still wanted to go see his little brother over him in case they were both dying. Then, he lost his best friend, for the second time, watching him die, entirely helpless. Lastly, and worst of all, it was what Alaric being dead had meant.

Elena was gone. Now, he hadn't known she was a vampire, mind; he really had thought he had lost her forever, never again to make her laugh, or see that pretty gleam in her dark, chocolate eyes.

Chocolate eyes that, at the moment, were drifting back down to the blood-bag in his hands.

"Here," he said softly, pulling the top off and holding it out to her. "Drink it slow, then stop half way, like we've been practicing. Okay?"

Nodding, Elena took the bag out of his hand, biting her lip at the still rather unpleasant new feeling of the veins under her eyes rippling at the sight and scent of the blood. Closing her eyes, she bit back more tears as she tried to make them stop, crying harder as she felt her fangs eagerly extend without warning.

"Hey…" Damon said, his brow furrowing with concern. "Elena…?"

"I hate this, Damon!" she sobbed, her red eyes snapping open, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I never wanted to be a vampire; you _kn-know that…!_ I didn't have a ch-choice…!"

Frowning, Damon pulled the sobbing girl into his arms. "Shhh…" he whispered, gently stroking her hair. "I know, Elena… if I could go back and stop this from ever happening, you know I would…"

Burying her face in his black shirt, she squeezed her eyes shut as the memories flooded back into her mind yet again.

"_I want you to get everything you're looking for. But, right now, I want you to forget this ever happened. Can't have people knowing I'm in town yet."_

_ "I love you, Elena; and, it's because I love you, that I can't be selfish with you."_

_ "You want passion, and adventure, and maybe even a little danger…"_

_ "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this… but you do."_

_ "You want a love that consumes you…_"

The memories had haunted Elena ever since she woke up in the hospital as a vampire. She hadn't mentioned her remembering them to Damon. How would she even begin? _Hey, Damon? Yeah, guess what; I remember you telling me you loved me. That was pretty cool._

No, she couldn't say that. A topic like this took planning before bringing it up… her problem was, she didn't know what this meant. Where her feelings lied. She had thought she loved Stefan; that it would _always _be Stefan. But, if that was the case, why did those memories with Damon make her heart flutter faster? Why did she want it to be Damon to help her transition, and not Stefan? _Why did she feel the need to be herself, and shed her tears around Damon, but felt that she needed to hide them around Stefan?_

The answer to her last question was simple; if she let Stefan see how much she hated this, he would blame himself. She was sick of him doing that. It had been her own choice to have him save Matt, and neither of them had known Meredith had given her vampire blood.

As for the other questions? The memories? She had no idea what the answers were.

"I need to get out of here…" Elena muttered, pulling out of Damon's arms and standing up, tossing the blood-bag to the floor and heading for the door.

"What?" Damon said, clearly confused. "What do you mean; where are you going?"

Elena didn't answer him; she took advantage of her new found speed, and dashed from the house, getting as far away from Damon, from the memories, as possible.

But, no matter how far she ran from him, he was always there._ Why?_

_I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door_

_I've had you so many times but somehow I want more_

_I don't mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile; ask her if she wants to stay a while_

_And she will be loved… and she will be loved…_

Damon was starting to panic. He had driven all around Mystic Falls in search of Elena, terrified of what she may have done in her current state. Of course, he couldn't find her anywhere. To make matters worse, the rain had started to pour while he searched. He knew Elena too well; if she got caught in the rain like this, and was already so upset, it would only make things worse; she would break down.

He had been driving by the Gilbert house, thinking perhaps that she would have gone back to her old neighborhood, and frowned, stopping the car when he noticed a light on. Of course, this was odd, seeing as though nobody lived there now.

Alaric was gone. That was obvious. Jeremy had been sent back to Denver to finish school in a steady place, calling Caroline regularly for updates on how his sister was doing. Elena herself lived in the boarding house now, where _Stefan _could keep an eye on her.

Getting out of the car, frowning when he was immediately drenched in the rain, Damon shut his car door and stalked up to the front door, knocking. "Elena?" he called, knowing it could be only she who was in there; the light was on in her bedroom. If she had responded to his call, he couldn't hear her over the pounding of the rain.

"Elena!" he yelled, hammering on the door with his fist. "Open the door!"

He continued to knock loudly, glaring when she still ignored him. Now, any other day, Damon would have simply knocked down the door. But, with things being the way they were, he couldn't afford to draw any more attention from the council to the broken Gilbert family. Glaring, he stormed off the porch and back into the rain, ignoring the water as it soaked through his jacket and drenched his hair, making it stick to his forehead. Storming over to the wall by her window, he quickly scaled it as he had done many times before, flinging it open with ease and slipping inside.

"_What in hell have you been…?_"

Damon's words trailed off as he noticed Elena. She was curled up in her old bed, hugging the blankets around herself and burying her face in the old, matted, fluffy fur of her teddy bear. She was sobbing hysterically, the sounds muffled by the bear, and the sight shattered Damon's heart into a million pieces. How long had she been up here, like this?

"Elena, sweetheart…" he said in a much softer tone, walking over to the side of her bed and crouching down beside it, not wanting to sit on the sheets and soak them through. Hearing his voice made her cling tighter to the bear, and Damon reached over, brushing her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Talk to me, 'Lena…" he said, using the term of endearment only certain people in Elena's life ever used. Damon had never been one of them. Not until this moment.

Finally, her voice breaking as she spoke though her sobs, her swollen eyes opened to meet his. "I just want to d-die, Dam-mon…."

His eyes widening, he shook his head. "No, sweetie, don't say that…"

"I do!" she cried, sobbing harder, the sound echoing through the house. "What d-difference would it m-make? Practically everyone e-else is already d-dead…! Why should I b-be any diff-ferent…?"

"Elena, don't talk like that," Damon said, his voice hoarse. "You can't die…"

"I'm already d-dead! My life is already o-ov-ver…!"

"Elena, please," Damon begged, the pain that was always hidden in his eyes shining as clear as day now. "I can't lose you… not again. Please, Elena…" His own voice breaking with the idea of truly never seeing her again, he croaked, "You're all I have left…"

Elena looked like she felt guilty. She truly did. She knew that Damon needed her, just as much as she needed him. But… she just couldn't do it anymore. Not when she felt so entirely alone in what was now her life. "I just… can't do it, Damon…" she whimpered. "The bloodlust… I just _c-can't…_"

"I'll help you," he pleaded. "Elena, I'll do anything… just don't leave me."

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Elena reached out for him. "Lay with me, please…? I don't want to be alone right now…"

Nodding, without a second thought, Damon peeled off his wet jacket, dropping it to the floor and crawling into bed with her, wrapping his cold arms around her quivering body. "It's going to be okay, Elena… trust me…" he whispered in her ear as she nuzzled into his chest, closing her eyes.

"Stay with me…" she whispered. "I n-need you D-Damon…"

"I'm here," he responded, holding her tightly. "I'll never leave you. I'm here…"

Slowly calming from her hysterics as his calming scent washed over her, Elena found herself welcoming sleep, hugging her bear close to her face as Damon hugged her. Cautiously, he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. As she shifted in her sleep and began to whisper, Damon expected her to mutter his brother's name at the feeling of lips on her skin.

But… she didn't. Instead, in the dark, cool room, as the rain pounded hard against the roof and window, Elena Gilbert whispered, with a tone of longing in her voice, "Damon…"

_Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful_

_I know I tend to get so insecure_

_It doesn't matter anymore!_

_It's not always rainbows and butterflies; it's compromise that moves us along_

_Yeah… my heart is full and my door's always open_

_You come anytime you want!_

Stirring from her dreamless slumber, Elena wiggled her nose with confusion as she felt something resting on it. Opening her eyes, she realized that her cheek was lying on Damon's chest, her legs tangled with his under her blankets, arms wrapped around his torso. Damon himself was still sleeping soundly, his hair sticking up at all angles from it being soaked when he fell asleep last night. His arms were still protectively encasing her, and she couldn't help but feel safer than she had in months as he held her close.

But what was on her nose?

Crossing her eyes, she finally got a look at the culprit, and giggled softly; there was a bright yellow and black butterfly resting on the tip of her nose, seeming to have no fear at all of the girl it was perched on, nor the figure beneath her. Elena noticed that Damon had left her window open last night; that would explain how the butterfly had found its way in. Giggling again, she wiggled her nose another time, laughing softly as the butterfly fluttered its wings slightly at her movement.

Beneath her, Damon was slowly coming to, being vaguely aware of the adorable noise filling his ears. Was he dreaming? It couldn't possibly be giggles. Not Elena giggles. Certainly not after the night they had just had. But, when he opened one eye to peek at her, surely enough her face with lit up with glee, her eyes locked on…

"Mmm… is that a butterfly…?"

Elena giggled at the sound of his groggy voice, turning her eyes up to his face. "Yes, yes it is."

"Why's it on your nose…?"

Grinning, Elena gently picked the fragile little insect up, placing it on her finger. "Better?"

Damon smirked, eying the tiny creature curiously. It was the first thing that had made Elena smile in weeks. "Much better," he whispered, smiling softly at her.

With another tiny giggle, Elena took the butterfly and placed it on Damon's nose, instead, causing his eyes to widen with surprise. "What…?"

"Shh!" Elena chided him, giggling again. "You'll scare it away."

Raising an eyebrow, Damon closed his mouth again, giving a tiny wiggle of his nose. The butterfly began to crawl up his face, and Elena laughed. "Tickles, doesn't it?"

Damon grinned. "It doe…ahhh… achoo!"

Elena squealed and giggled as Damon sneezed, the butterfly quickly flying away and landing on her dresser across the room.

"Woops," Damon chuckled, and Elena laughed, gazing up at him.

"You scared it away," she pouted, and he grinned, shaking his head.

"Not on purpose… it tickled, and made me sneeze!"

"Maybe you're just allergic to fun," she said, and he raised an eyebrow.

"_Damon Salvatore, _allergic to fun? Not likely. Butterflies, though; it's possible."

Elena giggled again, sitting up and stretching, yawning softly. "Mmm… is it odd for me to say that's the best I've slept in weeks?"

Damon gave her a small, weak smile; the hope nagging at his mind at her words was something he didn't want to address. "It was probably sleeping in your own bed that did it," he said softly, and Elena frowned slightly.

"What makes you so sure it had nothing to do with you being here?" she asked him, and his eyes widened with hope.

"Well… did it?"

Tilting her head to the side, Elena nodded. "I think so… I…" Elena bit her lip. "I felt safe with you, Damon… safer than I've felt since I turned."

Damon sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, blinking at her. "You did?"

She nodded, reaching over to brush his black curls back, grinning slightly. "Yeah…" Tilting her head, she grinned. "Your hair is so curly when you let it dry on its own…"

"Ahh…" Damon chuckled softly. "You should have seen it years ago, before they had hair products."

Smiling, Elena shook her head, but jumped when she heard the door fly open downstairs. Seconds later, Stefan burst into her room, looking terrified. "Elena, I…! Elena…?"

For a moment, Elena couldn't understand the look of hurt and confusion on Stefan's face. Then, she realized it. She had disappeared last night, when she said she would be waiting for him when he got home. Not to mention, Damon had vanished, too. Right now, she was sitting under her covers with Damon, whose hair looked a bit too tousled to have not had someone running their hands through it, and the skirt she had been wearing was riding up on her legs from sleeping in it…

_Oh, God; he thought she had slept with him!_

"Stefan, it isn't what it looks like," she said quickly, and Damon nodded in agreement. The last thing he needed was his brother flying off on them, right when he had finally gotten Elena to smile again.

"Right…" Stefan said, his eyes narrowing, looking hurt. "So, if it isn't what it looks like, why were you both missing all night, and I run in here and find you like _this?_"

"Stefan!" Elena cried, horrified. "You know I wouldn't…!"

"Save it, Elena," Stefan said coldly, clearly feeling betrayed by both people in the bed in front of him. "You are a Petrova; I wouldn't expect any less from you."

Stalking out of the room, he slammed Elena's door shut and, seconds later, slammed the front door, too.

Damon's eyes drifted to Elena; she looked stunned from what Stefan had said.

"Elena…" he said nervously.

"Is that all I am, Damon?" she whispered, turning her eyes to him. "Just another Petrova _slut?_"

"No!" Damon cried, his eyes wide. "God, no; Elena! We didn't _sleep together; _you aren't even close to being…"

"Just another slutty vampire Petrova," she said, swallowing hard. "That really is all I am. I might as well change my name to Katherine…"

"Elena, listen to me!" Damon yelled, and her eyes snapped back to him, slightly stunned by his outburst. "You are _not _a slut. Don't listen to a damn word my asshole of a brother says; he knows nothing about you."

"And you do?" she whispered, and Damon froze; how was he supposed to respond to that.

"I…" he said softly, and Elena sighed.

"Can we just go back to the boarding house now? I need blood." Sliding out of the bed, Elena moved toward the door, walking out without turning to see if he was following. Damon swallowed hard as he shifted out of the bed and picked up his jacket, following her; _God dammit, Stefan! Why did he need to ruin everything?_

As he walked out of the room after Elena, Damon didn't notice that he stepped on the butterfly, squashing the thing that had brought them happiness not even ten minutes ago; squashing it like Stefan had squashed all of their progress.

_I know where you hide; alone in your car_

_The wonderful things that make you who you are_

_I know that goodbye means nothing at all_

_Comes back and begs me catch her every time she falls… yeah…_

Damon sighed as he shut off the engine for the car, turning to Elena as she sat, silently in the passenger's seat, the sun beating down on both of them through the window. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her quietly, and she rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about," she snapped, getting out of the car. Frowning, Damon got out and followed after her, grabbing her arm and turning her, making her face him.

"What do you mean, _there's nothing to talk about?_"

Yanking her arm from his grip, Elena glared up at him. "Plain and simple, Damon; I have nothing to say to you. All you ever do is ruin everything! Now, all because you couldn't trust me enough that I wouldn't kill everyone in sight if I went off alone, Stefan thinks I cheated on him! He hates me! He practically called me a _slut! _It's _all _your fault, just like it _always _is! So just leave me the hell alone!"

Storming into the boarding house, Elena slammed the door as hard as she could in his face, stalking down to the basement to get a blood bag; or, many blood-bags. She wasn't just going to let Damon tell her she could only drink half anymore. Fuck that!

Standing outside, Damon's expression was clearly one that was one of agony. Elena hated him. She hated him for something that wasn't even his fault! Last night, she had begged him to stay with her; now she hated him for it? Cringing, Damon slowly backed away from the house before turning on his heel and bolting away; it was too much to handle. He couldn't be around her; not after that.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Particularly more broody than usual, Stefan walked down the stairs to the cellar. Screw the bunnies; he was going to indulge in some B+. He deserved it after what he had seen this morning. Honestly! Elena and Damon? Going behind his back? What the hell was her problem? All he had done since she turned was help her, and this was how she repaid him? No; if that was the case, he was more than done with her. Damon could have her; the last thing Stefan Salvatore needed was another damn Katherine.

Pulling open the freezer, Stefan frowned; where was all the blood?

"_Damon!_" he yelled as he looked angrily into the empty freezer. "_Where the hell is all the blood?_"

When his brother didn't respond, Stefan glared and made to head back up the stairs and scream his head off at him, pausing when he stepped on something. Looking down with a frown, he recognized it as a drained blood bag. One that he had dropped before, perhaps…?

Frowning more deeply, he noticed another. And another, and another, and another, and another…

Altogether, he counted seventy-three blood-bags, drained and on the floor. Slowly, his eyes drifted up to the faint sound of whimpering in one of the dark corners by the freezer. There she sat, huddled up on the floor, covered head to toe in blood, with it matted in her hair and on her clothes. Elena had drunk every single blood bag in the fully stocked freezer on her own, in one sitting. Even _he _had never done that.

"Shit…" he whispered, taking a step back.

"Stefan," she whimpered, "Help me…"

Shaking his head rapidly, he took another step back. "What the hell did you do, Elena?" he hissed, gaping at her. Tears streamed down her face, leaving tracks in the blood.

"Please, Stefan," she choked out, and Stefan bolted for the door, leaving Elena quivering and terrified of herself in the corner. There was no way in hell he would be around that… that _monster. _Elena Gilbert was no longer the girl he had fallen in love with.

… . … . … . … . … . …

Damon came home that night, bleary-eyed and depressed, only to find the house dark and seemingly empty, as though no one was home. "Stefan?" he called, his brow furrowing as he dropped his jacket onto the couch, looking around. After coming up blank in every other room, he headed down into the cellar.

"Stefan, are you down here?" he called as he started down the stairs, and froze, slightly startled, by the wail that sounded at the sound of his voice. It sounded like a tortured animal, and he took a step back. "What the hell…?"

"_Damon! Damon, please…! Help me…! Help me!_"

His eyes widening, Damon tore down the stairs. "Elena?"

He gasped as the figure threw herself at him, making horrible, tortured sounds, quivering like mad.

"Hey! Hey, hey! What the hell, Elena?" he gasped, pulling back slightly. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw that she was covered in blood. "Oh, _my God…!_"

"I was stupid, and I… I drank them… I drank them all…!"

"Come here; come on," Damon said rapidly, stunned as he grabbed her, picking her up into his arms and rushing back up the stairs, flicking on lights as he went.

"Where the fuck is Stefan?" he snapped angrily as he stormed into his room, slamming the door shut.

Elena shook with terror in his arms. "He left me…! I asked him to help me, and he ran…! Oh, Damon…!"

Damon snarled with fury, carrying her into his bathroom and putting her down on the counter. Elena sobbed harder, terrified of herself and how angry he seemed to be.

"Damon, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I just couldn't stop…! Nobody helped me! Please, please don't hate me…!"

Glaring, Damon grabbed for her and Elena shrieked with terror, expecting a smack, or something worse. But, instead, Damon yanked her off the counter and into his arms, smashing his lips down to hers and kissing her with all the emotion currently running inside of him; fury, passion, fear; all of it.

Elena whimpered beneath his lips and he drew back, trailing his lips down her throat and tugging her jacket off at the same time, dropping the bloody fabric to the floor before tearing her shirt open, making her gasp with shock.

"What… what are you doing…?" she squeaked as he dropped her shirt to the floor, backing her toward the bathtub.

"I don't hate you," he growled, tugging her hair to force her head back and make her look him in the eyes, her own filled with fear of him at the moment. "You _know _I don't hate you, dammit! I fucking _love _you! Why the hell don't you see that? Why, Elena? _Answer me!_"

"_Damon, you're scaring me!_" Elena sobbed, recoiling from him and trying desperately to get away from him.

Slowly, Damon's fury began to evaporate. _What was he doing?_ "Elena…" he breathed, his eyes widening with horror. She scrambled away when he let go of her hair, cringing back against the wall.

"Don't hurt me, please," she sobbed, and he took a few steps back until he was leaning against the counter, squeezing his eyes shut and looking down, gripping the granite tightly. "God, I'm so sorry…" he whispered, shaking his head. "I… I snapped, Elena… I just… all of this shit that's happened lately…" Running a his fingers through his hair, he shook his head. "I'm so sorry…"

Slowly, Elena's look of terror began to fade. Damon looked so… broken. Everything about him looked agonized. How had she not noticed how much he was hurting? Right; she had been to wrapped up in her own problems, expecting his sympathy to actually consider how all of this had affected him.

"Damon…" she whispered, taking a few cautious steps toward him. When he made no move, simply continued to stare at the floor, clutching the counter, Elena walked up to him and tilted his chin up, looking into his eyes. "I remember," she whispered. "All of it."

He frowned, looking confused. "What…?"

"The times you compelled me? I remember them, Damon. How I met you first, the night my parents died? How the night you and Stefan saved me from Rose, you came into my room and told me that you…"

Damon swallowed hard. "That I loved you."

Elena reached over and touched his cheek. "You said you didn't deserve me, Damon… but you do. You deserve me more than anyone in the world… it's _me _who doesn't deserve _you. _I've toyed with you, Damon, and I'm no better than Katherine. You deserve someone better, someone who will always choose you first; someone who will see, right away, how amazing you are. Someone better than me…" She looked down for a moment, biting her lip before whispering. "But… I don't want you to find her, Damon. As selfish as it is, and it makes me… I want you." She looked up into his eyes again, eyes that were watching her intently, and whispered, "I want you, Damon… I love you."

Damon gaped at her in shock. "You… you…?"

"I love you," she said again, taking his cheeks in her hands. "I love you more than anything I could ever imagine, Damon… You consume me," she said with a faint smile, recalling his words from her memory. "With you, I've experienced passion, adventure, and a hell of a lot of danger… and you were right. It's what I've wanted all along, and it's always been there… but I was just too blind to take it. But I don't want to lose it, either, Damon…" She leaned her forehead against his, brushing her lips over his. "I love you, so much, Damon… and I want to prove it to you."

Damon blinked, her words all running through his mind over and over at hyper speed. Finally, he blinked rapidly and mumbled, "Prove it to me…?"

Taking a step back from him, Elena slid out of her miniskirt and dropped it aside, walking backwards to the shower and turning it on, biting her lip as she whispered, "I want you to make love to me, Damon."

He couldn't believe his ears. This girl; this amazing girl, who he had longed to have for nearly two years now… she wanted him? She finally wanted him?

Walking back over to him, Elena looked up into his eyes, placing a hand on his chest. "Please, Damon? I want you, all of you… I'm yours."

Unbuttoning the first three buttons of his shirt, she looked up at him hopefully. He gazed down at her for a few moments, before cautiously bending down and pressing his lips to hers. Elena finished unbuttoning his shirt and slid her hands back up his chest, slipping them inside at his shoulders and carefully pushing it down off of his arms, letting it drop to the ground. Wrapping his arms around her, Damon kissed her more intensely, with a slow, building passion as he began backing her toward the running shower, allowing her to unbutton his jeans and slide the zipper down, pushing them down off of his hips and down his legs until he was able to step out of them.

"You're sure you want this?" he whispered as he pulled back, searching her face for any sign of hesitation.

She nodded, gently rubbing his shoulders. "This is what I want, Damon… you're all I want."

Smiling faintly, his eyes glowing for the first time in over one hundred years, Damon bent his lips back to hers again, kissing her once more with hunger.

_Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful…_

_I don't mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile; ask her if she wants to stay a while_

_And she will be loved, and she will be loved, and she will be loved, and she will be loved…_

Elena ran her hands down Damon's back, gasping softly as he pushed deeper into her, the water cascading down over them. She pressed her head back against the wall, groaning and tightening her legs around his waist, trailing her hands back up to knot in his hair, opening her eyes to look into his.

His face was dripping, and possibly more gorgeous than ever, and Elena felt her heartbeat race even faster at the intense look he was giving her. He looked her straight in the eyes as he pushed harder into her core, making her clench and gasp.

"Oh, Damon…!" she whispered, tilting her head back again and biting her lip as she felt her body tightening. It was coming; what could possibly be the most incredible climax she'd ever experienced. She gasped with surprise when she suddenly felt herself being whisked from the shower, and looked up at Damon with wide eyes as her back touched the soft sheets of his bed.

"Not in there…" he whispered, giving another hard thrust into her and feeling her clench more as he bent down to hover his lips above hers, whispering, "I won't take you all the way in my shower, Elena; it needs to be here."

Nodding rapidly at his words, her eyes squeezing shut as he pushed in deeper, she gasped, tightening her fingers in his hair. Crying out as Damon started to pound into her core with amazing precision, Elena finally felt that delicious feeling building, the clenching of all her muscles, starting with every single one in her stomach, and finally letting go like the snap of an elastic.

Damon's lips crashed down to hers just as she was about to scream out at the top of her lungs, quivering and shaking with her orgasm, hungrily kissing him back, groaning and whimpering with its aftershocks beneath his hungry lips. Finally, he drew his lips away and Elena gasped in a breath, loosening her hold on his hair and wincing slightly as he pulled out of her.

"Oh, my God…" she breathed, and Damon chuckled softly.

"Was I up to par…?" he asked, attempting to catch his breath as he pulled the duvet of the bed over the two of them, brushing her wet hair back frown her eyes.

"God, yes…" she whispered, her eyes remaining shut with exhaustion.

Biting his lip, Damon hesitated in the temptation of leaning over and kissing her cheek. It was ridiculous, given what they had just done together, but made him nervous just the same. It was such an endearing gesture; dare he do it?

He reached over and caressed her cheek, and Elena finally opened her eyes, the rising and falling of her chest beginning to slow, even though her heart continued to pound erratically. "What's wrong?" she whispered, noticing his conflicted expression.

"I just…" he said, and bit his lip. "I want to kiss you, Elena…"

Blinking a few times, she frowned. "Why don't you?"

"Do you want me to?" he whispered, and she gave him a small smile.

"Of course I want you to," she said softly, reaching over and stroking his wet hair. "I told you, Damon; I love you." Her eyes were intense as she nodded to assure him. "It isn't only about sex, Damon; I want you to be with me the way we both want. With kissed and flowers; the works."

Damon smiled, leaning over and pressing his lips to her cheek. "Thank God…"

Elena frowned, drawing back to look at him. "Did you really think I was only using you for sex?"

Damon shifted his gaze down, sighing. "It's what I'm used to, Elena; it's all anyone has ever wanted from me. It was never really making love…" he sighed, shaking his head. "It was just… sex, to them."

Elena's expression softened as she realized the truth in his words; realized just how little love Damon Salvatore had truly received in his 171 years on Earth. "Damon…" she whispered, shifting closer to him under the blankets. "You are the most amazing man I know, and you deserve the world…"

He gave her a weak smile, closing his eyes. "All I want is your love, Elena…"

"Damon, look at me," she whispered, and he opened his eyes once again to gaze at her face. "You already have my love; I think you always have," she assured him, and his smile widened a bit.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that…"

Elena smiled, moving over and snuggling against his warm, muscled body. "I love you, Damon," she said again, kissing his cheek. "I love you, I love you, I love you…"

Damon chuckled as she trailed kisses down his jawline before nuzzling into his neck, closing her eyes. "Sleep, sweetheart," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Just sleep…"

She smiled, cuddling against him and whispering softly in the darkness, "When I said I felt safe in your arms, Damon… I meant it."

"Good…" he whispered, holding her tighter. "I'll always protect you…"

"Mmm… never let me go?" she said with a soft yawn.

"I'll never let you go, Elena…" grinning, he whispered. "Never let _me _go?"

Smiling softly, she nodded her head, wrapping her arms around him more tightly as she hugged her body against his. "I'll never let you go, Damon…"

_Try so hard to say goodbye…_

_Try so hard to say goodbye…_

_And she will… be loved…_

_**fin**_


End file.
